Motor operated door closing device



March 13, 1945'. w -P LEVON 2,371,336

MOTOR OPERATED DOOR CLOSING DEVICE Filed Feb. 6, 1942 Z'mventor 7&5.

Gttomegs crosssection. Extending over the outer end of the bracket arm on opposite sides thereof is The motor is provided with a motor shaft 36 connected to a screw shaft 31 having a nut 38 The motor having one of its ends secured to one of the hinge members of said hinge connection, and screwand-nut mechanism rocking and swinging with the motor interconnecting said motor and said coil spring and responsive to the operation of said motor for storing energy in said coil spring for closing said door after being manually opened. whereby said door may be closed without necessitating the occupant of said vehicle changing his position,.said coil spring and screw-and-nut 'mechanism being maintained in straight-line threaded thereon. The screw shaft-.31 is provided with a stop portion 39 between the motor shaft 36 and screw shaft 31. The nut 38 is' provided with a peripheral spiral groove 40 having a. portion of thefconvolutions ofv a coil spring mounted therein and anchored thereto at its end 42 (Fig. 2). The coil spring 4! surrounds the screw shaft 31 and the stop cap 43 secured as at M to theouter end thereof (Fig. 2). t The opposite end45 of thecoilspring 4| passes through aperture 26 in the lug 25 and is anchored thereto by bending it in the form of a loop.

In the operation of the door closing device of i When the motor 3 5 isjthus energized, the

rotation of its shaft 36 and the screw shaft'3l causes the nut 38. to travel alongthe screw shaft 3'! toward the motor 35. This stretches the spring 4|, but does not immediately move the door H, due to the holding action of the door check. Thus a comparatively small motor 35 is able to store up a relatively large amount of energy in the spring 4|. .When the energy stored in the spring 4| is suflicient to overcome the resistance of the door check, the pull upon the hinge l2 at the lug 25 causes the door- Ii to swing into its closed position (Fig. 1). The nut 38 continues to travel until it meets the stop 39 or until the switch is opened. The motor 35 is of the type which will permit temporarystalling without its becoming burnt out.

It will be evident that the operatorcan also open or close the door manually without employing the motor 35 and without themotor 35 interfering with the manually closing. of the door or vice .versa. The door. closing device-of this invention is thus a very helpful device-especially invehicles equipped with very wide doors, since the operator can get into the car and seat himself behind the wheel, yet be able. to close the .door even though he cannot reach it directly.

,While a specific embodiment of the invention hasbeen described and illustrated,.lit will be understood that various modifications may he made within the scope of the appended claims without departing -from the spirit of the invention. c

What I claim is: 1. In a closing device for a vehicle door hingedly connected to the body oisaid vehicle and adapted to be manually opened, a motor rockably and swingingly securedto said vehicle body, said motorhaving an armatureshait, a coil spring driving relationship with said armature shaft throughout the swinging movement of said door.

2. In a closing device for a vehicle door hingedly connected to the body of said vehicle and adapted to be manually opened, a motor rockably and swingingly secured to said vehicle, said motor having an armature shaft aligned with said swinging connection, a spring device having one endsecured to the hinge member carried by said door, a screw element coextensive with said armature shaft, a nut element thereon operatively interposed between aid motor and the other end of said spring device, said screw element being connected to said. motor to rock therewith and said nut element being directly connected to said spring device, and means responsive to the operation of said motor for causing said elements to move in a straight line relationship with said armature shaft and relatively to one another to deform said spring device and swing said door on its hinge connection toclosed position after having been manually opened.

3. In a closing device for a vehicle door hingedly connected to the body of a vehicle and adapted to be manually opened, said hinge connection including a hinge strap carried by said vehicle door pivotally attached to said body, a motor rockably and swingingly secured to said vehicle, said motor having an armature shaft, a tension spring having one end secured to the hinge strap in spaced relation from the pivotal point of said. hinge strap; a screw element coextensive with said armature shaft, a nut element threaded thereon operatively interconnected between the other end of said spring and said screw element, and said spring, screw eledoor-about its hinge connection to close said door member after said door has been manually opened. 1

4. In a closing device for a vehicle door hingedly and pivotally connected to the body of a vehicle and adapted to be manually opened, a motor rockably secured to said vehicle body, said motor having an armature shaft aligned with saidrockable connection between the motor and said vehicle body, a screw shaft connected to the armature shaft rockable with said motor, a traveiing nut threaded on said screw shaft, and a spring encircling saidflscrew shaft and connected at one end to said nut and at the other end directily to the hinge connection in spaced relation from the pivotal point thereof whereby rotation of said motor armature shaft causes said nut to travel on said screw shaft and tension said spring so as to swing said door on its hinge connection 

